Barcelona, Spain – Xiaomi unveiled its latest flagship phone, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, at the Mobile World Congress in Europe. Priced at a hefty 1,499 euros ($1,624), this top-tier device boasts impressive features not available in the US market.
Equipped with a 120 Hz, 3200×1440 OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 5000 mAh battery, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra offers a powerful and high-performance smartphone experience. Its proprietary 90 W wired “HyperCharge” technology can fully charge the device in just 33 minutes, while the wireless 80 W version accomplishes the same in 46 minutes.
The phone’s design features curved edges around the screen that elevate the glass above the aluminum body. Xiaomi touts this as a seamless and elegant curved form, although some users may find curved displays to distort images. Despite its stylish appearance, the device’s vulnerability to damage from drops due to the exposed glass corners is worth noting.
In a nod to traditional camera aesthetics, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra sports a back design reminiscent of a classic leather-wrapped 35 mm camera. The “vegan leather” material and oversized circular camera block give the phone a distinctive camera-like charm.
The photography enhancements on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra include a “Professional Camera Kit” that transforms the device into a camera-like experience. With features like a two-stage shutter button, a record button, and a customizable dial, users can enjoy a more traditional camera feel, although the actual camera capabilities are that of a smartphone lens.
The device’s main camera boasts a six-blade variable aperture system, allowing users to adjust the aperture of their photos. While the engineering behind this feature is impressive, its practical application may be limited, as smartphone cameras with small lenses may not benefit significantly from such technology.
Despite its impressive hardware, including a 1-inch, 50MP Sony LYT-900 sensor as the main camera, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is set to deliver a solid smartphone camera experience. Preorders for the device are now open, with shipments scheduled to begin on March 15.